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Banking
Banking, as a concept, originally came from the Gnomes of Ulevar. History As the faith of Ulevar spread amongst the humans and temple-libraries spread into their lands, the concept of being able to indefinitely store items of value and wealth was eventually picked up by the human followers and then, later, by other humans. Banking is one of the practices of the Ulevari Temples that make them unique in that it's possible to store both items and wealth within their vaults and retrieve them at any Temple so long as you have the Key-Stone. As each Temple can access the same extra-planar space remotely, a chest put into storage in one location can be later accessed at another. It is by similar means that Ulevari are able to move material, wealth and information around so quickly. Within the Temple of Ulevar there are two forms of banking: Monetary Banking (depositing actual coins of wealth) and Secure Banking (depositing items that must be held secure until needed again). Monetary Banking Adventures make money - this is why most people go on them. But once you've made your way back to town and sold off all of the excess gear and divided up your several bags of coins, what do you do you do with all of that physical wealth? Carying all of those coins with you can be dangerous (if not also very heavy and loud) so many people have turned to the Ulevarii Temple-Banks to hold onto their wealth until they need it. The Temple will take the coins, of any sum, and allow you to deposite them into their coffers for a small fee; usually one-tenth. In exchange, they will give you an imprinted or stamped iron-plate that signifies where the deposite was made, in what amount and by whom it was made. This information is written down the length of the flat plates in an ancient dialect of gnomish that they protect very carefully. The plates themselves are about as long as a human index finger and only as thick as a nib. Commonly each plate comes punched with a hole at the top so that it can be strung as a necklace and worn under the clothing. Should the person need to access the wealth, they can take the plate to the nearest Ulevari Temple and answer three questions about the deposit (based on what was written on the plate). The plate has no monetary value outside of the Temple system and should the person attempting to gain access to the funds, represented by the plate, be unable to answer the questions it's utterly worthless. Some adventurers will have the plate worn as a necklace. Others may choose to have the plate hidden upon their person such as hiding it under the wrappings of their sword's handle. Still others may choose to fore go the use of the plates entirely and have something else inscribed with the marks. The inscription of the plate can be converted into an arcane script such as 'Wizard Mark' and tattooed upon the body. It's not uncommon to have the mark on the forearm, or over the heart. Still others have been known to have the marks magically inscribed upon their weapon (along a sword's blade or even upon the crystal of a staff). Secure Banking Secure banking is all about storing something until you need it. Whether it be physical wealth such as gems, jewelry or even coins, the basic idea is that everything fits into a standard 'chest' that the priests of Ulevari provide. The size of the chest can not be augmented with magic so whatever the size of the chest - it is the same on the inside and the outside. Chests vary in size from a small jewelry box to a large trunk. Each 'deposit box' is priced based on its size as well as the lease needed to hold it in storage. Some leases are for a year, five years or longer. Some famlies will continue to pay the Temple to ensure that the contents of their chest are maintained indefinitely. As Gnomes live quite a long time, they do entertain one-hundred year leases but they tend to be generational for the humans who purchase them. The contents of the chests vary widely. No one knows what's important to one person versus another. One family may secure their most valuable gems and jewels within a small chest - ensuring that they will have access to wealth even in the worst of times. Others may store whole collections of books, tomes or grimoire until another of their family is ready to study. It all depends on the one making the purchase and, for the most part, the Gnomes don't care. Access to the Secure Chest is possible only through the Key-Stone. Known Ulevari Temple-Banks Although there may be several small temples to Ulevar throughout the human lands, only a few are large enough and secured to be a Temple-Bank. Generally, the Temple-Banks are located in the trade capitals of the region. ''Kels *Kel Arn *Kel Mara *Kel Essen *Kel Nord *Kel Rho Provinces *Bank of Berk Marches'' *Northhaven *Baron's Gate Category:Economics